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Description
Oral History interview of Dana Schmidt. Interview conducted by Winter, Nancy at University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.
Log
0:30 Early childhood; 1:37 Education prior to entering the Army - receiving his law degree; 2:05 Entering the Army; 2:40 Basic Training/ROTC Training; 5:30 First assignment at the Pentagon as Judge Advocate General's Corps; 6:32 Description of patent legal work; 9:00 How his work contributed to the war effort; 10:10 Describes the type of patents which are kept secret; 10:35 Describes purpose of patents; 11:20 How improvements to patents work; 11:56 Leaving the Army; 12:08 Post-Army work in private practice in Michigan; 12:48 Switch to corporate practice; 13:27 Describes work at Eastman Kodak and the patents he worked on; 14:42 Describes move to work at Johnson and Johnson; 15:10 The influence of his Army work on his civilian work; 15:38 How he feels about his service in the Army; 16:20 Called to Vietnam, but he work with JAG prevented him from going; 16:50 Advice for younger generations looking to join the military; 17:57 Reflection on his experience in the ROTC; 19:15 Discusses what it was like to work at the Pentagon during Vietnam War; 19:37 Why they were not allowed to wear their uniforms in DC every day; 20:08 Discusses physical training obligations while in DC; 20:56 Discusses physical training at Basic Training; 21:20 Discusses his ROTC experience on the Drill Team and how it helped him; 22:02 Discusses ROTC rifle competitions; 24:00 Discusses difference between those who competed and those who used rifles at funerals; 24:40 Closing of interview.
Date of Birth
1940-01-26
Place of Birth
Washington (D.C.)
Gender
Male
Race
Unspecified
Home State
NA
War or Conflict
Vietnam Era
Status
Veteran
Begin/End date of Service - 1st
1966-01-01
Type
Video; MovingImage
1968-12-31
Entrance into Service
Commissioned
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Unit of Service
Judge Advocate Generals Corps
Highest Rank
Captain; CPT
Prisoner of War
Unspecified
Service Related Injury
Unspecified
Battles
Unspecified
Medals
Unspecified
Achievements
Patent Attorney; Wrote patents for the Army
Note
Married on 1963-02-02 with 2 children; Daughter Cynthia G. Schmidt, Esq. Director of the Center for Law and Policy at University of Central Florida; Granddaughter, Alex Schelle (daughter of Cynthia), Rotary Exchange Student in Encarnacion, Paraguay.
City of Birth
Washington DC
Country of Birth
United States
Interviewer
Winter, Nancy
Interview Date
5-6-2014
Location of Interview
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
Subjects
Schmidt, Dana M.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives; United States. Army
Collection Description
Contains logs, audio and video recordings of interviews with Central Florida's veterans as part of a history class project for the students at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The UCF Community Veterans History Project(CVHP) started in fall 2010. It collects, preserves, and makes accessible to the public the experiences of Central Florida's veterans so that future generations will better understand the realities of conflict. It is a collaborative endeavor supported by multiple departments and offices at UCF. The veterans' histories are archived and made digitally available through the UCF library and selected materials are contributed to the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.
Contributor Affiliation / Organization
RICHES; University of Central Florida
Contributors
Winter, Nancy
Length of Interview
25 Minutes
Publisher
Department of History, University of Central Florida
Type
video
Rights
All rights are held by the respective holding institution. This material is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. For permission to reproduce and/or for copyright information contact Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, (407) 823-2576. http://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/special-collections-university-archives/
Repository
University of Central Florida Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
Contributing Project
UCF Community Veterans History Project
Document Type
Interview
Recommended Citation
Central Florida, RICHES of, "Schmidt, Dana M. interview" (2014). Veterans Oral Histories. 226.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/226